Civil society group Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has decried the attempt to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), describing it as a fraudulent process aimed at silencing her and undermining the electorate’s choice in Kogi Central amidst her rift with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Despite the controversy, the people of the senatorial district who freely gave her the mandate to represent them in the Senate have remained resolute against every attempt to silence their senator.
During a press conference in Abuja yesterday, TMG Chairman Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) insisted that thorough investigations into the allegations against the Senate President must be carried out, stating that the issues are too weighty to be swept under the carpet.
“Let it be clear that TMG has no reservations if the Senate decides to discipline a member for disobeying its rules and procedures. However, the ensuing allegations of sexual harassment, abuse of power, and infringement on the right to perform legislative duties must be treated separately, as all senators are equally elected by their constituents,” he said.
He further stated that the leadership of the Senate must recognise the significant gender imbalance in the chamber and must not continue to present itself as a misogynistic institution targeting one of the few women in the 10th Senate.
“While these events have embarrassed the nation and portrayed its leadership in a negative light, the speed and manner in which they escalated into an attempt to recall Senator Natasha is, without mincing words, a clear display of desperation by certain political gladiators to completely silence her.”
He noted that the Senate, like any other gathering of imperfect humans, is bound to experience disagreements. The Nigerian Senate—and indeed the National Assembly—has a history of such disputes, some of which have escalated into physical confrontations.
“In the eyes of many Nigerians, the altercation between Senators Natasha and Akpabio over seat reallocation seemed like one of many such disputes—unless there were underlying issues preceding the confrontation.”
He said Senator Natasha had informed Nigerians and the international community that underlying issues led to the seat reallocation incident and the subsequent altercation in the Senate chambers.
“For every well-meaning Nigerian, this goes beyond internal disagreements among lawmakers. It calls for a thorough investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment, abuse of power, and obstruction of her right to perform her duties as a senator.”
Regrettably, the Senate has not allowed room for such an investigation. The leadership’s handling of the matter can best be described as a coordinated gang-up. The Senate President failed to recuse himself and went on to preside over and stamp the suspension of Senator Natasha.
The Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee reportedly dismissed her petition as “dead on arrival,” focusing on technicalities instead of allowing due process.
Shortly after Senator Natasha’s suspension, an attempt was made to initiate a recall process. Nigerians watched with concern as a questionable and deceitful effort to collect signatures from her constituents unfolded.
Video evidence circulating in the media exposed how the recall organisers misled constituents, collecting their details under the pretence of empowerment programs.
While TMG commends the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its transparent, step-by-step handling of the process—up to the counting of signatures from Kogi Central—it emphasises that the entire exercise was a charade and a gross violation of Section 69 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Ultimately, the effort was a waste of time and resources, especially for INEC. Recalling a lawmaker is constitutionally based on misrepresentation, underperformance, or misconduct—not as a political weapon for disgruntled individuals.
In this case, Senator Natasha’s constituents have not expressed dissatisfaction with her representation, even amid the challenges she faces in the Senate. The question remains: Who initiated the recall? Who sponsored it? Is this truly what the recall process is meant to be—a political weapon to silence opposition?
Again, TMG is satisfied with INEC’s conduct and dedication to due process. This is a strong demonstration of democratic institutions functioning within the bounds of the law rather than as instruments for the narrow interests of the powerful.
However, TMG remains curious about how more than 50% of registered voters in Kogi Central supposedly turned up to sign the recall petition—particularly in a country plagued by voter apathy. This anomaly warrants deeper investigation.
While INEC has terminated the process at the signature verification stage—having determined that the required threshold was not met—the apparent fraud in collecting voters’ details cannot be ignored.
We are also deeply concerned that, in violation of the Data Protection Act, the personal data of Kogi Central citizens was harvested and used without their consent. The Nigeria Data Protection Commission must investigate this breach to reassure citizens that their data is protected under the law.
Further investigation must verify and authenticate the Voter Identification Numbers (VINs) using the BVAS. Should these investigations confirm a fraudulent process, the petitioners must be held accountable, deterring future abuses of democratic processes by politically motivated actors.
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